If there’s one thing I’ve learned, its that no one achieves anything by themselves. Elvis had Colonel Tom Parker, Beyonce had Destiny’s Child, and Lewis Hamilton had Anthony Hamilton.
Now I’m not saying we’re about to start winning any golden awards (although you might) but growing a business is still pretty epic and it takes more than a few helping hands along the way.
My business started back in 2012 when I was still working full time in a laboratory role and renovating my home. I have had the support of several business coaches along the way, as well as managers in my employment, my tutor team, virtual assistants, my family, and various contractors. But the really aligned and consistent growth happened when I made a concerted effort to grow my network and meet other small business owners on the same journey as me.
Now that I’m on this side of it, it seems so obvious. But for a long time I didn’t know anyone else in business. I found all of my answers from Google, from watching what other people did, or from spending money on training. And so I didn’t have anyone to bounce ideas around with over a cuppa, or to be really honest with about how hard it is to grow a business from scratch.
There were many times when I considered packing it all in and just sticking with paid 9-5 employment (the horror). When inevitable roadblocks hit, I looked to those I could see in business from the outside, and their apparently effortless success made me feel like I was wasting my time.
But here’s the ‘shocker’ – it isn’t easy for anyone. When we have others in our corner who not only understand our challenges but understand the solutions they give us the boost we need to deal with those roadblocks. It doesn’t get easier. We get stronger when we’re not trying to do it all alone.
And what’s more, connecting to others in the business world is a great addition to your marketing strategy. These folks have an engaged audience of your target market? Why wouldn’t we want to connect with them.
So where do we find our Destiny’s Child?
Online communities.
The internet has opened up a whole world of connectivity that we can dive right into. But while there’s a party for everyone, we don’t want to be part of everyone’s party.
These are the places I go to find my Business Bestie Boosters.
Tutors Need Tutors
Of course I lean on my own community within Facebook. These folks have been by my side since March 2020 and they give me a daily pep boost. Initially launched to support classroom teachers with the transition to online working, the group has grown massively since 2020, and the members are always ready to support each other. The ethos that it was started with has spread through the community, so it is extremely rare that we experience any negativity in there.
There’s now a library of resources around tech that you can use for online lessons, filling your calendar with customers, and business advice from guest experts I’ve worked with in the past. If you’re a tutor, there’s something in there for you.
The Love Tutoring Community is the internets educator love-in. Not only is it bursting with positivity and encouragement for all of its members, but there are always wonderful things being organised by the LTC team that you won’t want to miss out on.
And even better, they organise in person events so that you can meet up with other educators in real life. Do you remember those days?
They offer masses of value to their free community and to their members. If you are an educator, or involved in the world of education, you will want to get involved.
I’ve been working with Kimba since very early on in my business journey, when she ran a course on using Instagram to grow your business. Kimba’s training and delivery method suited my scientific mind. She’s organised, honest, and very motivated to add value.
Since then, Kimba has established the Online Growth Club (KOGc), with a library of training resources and an online community all designed to support small business owners in growing their business.
Kimba always adds a fun element to her courses and trainings, and it was no surprise when she set up her gamification business. The networking events within the Instagram course and the Online Growth Club were the inspiration for the fun sessions at the Love Tutoring Festival. Kimba knows how to bring the right level of fun, inspiration, and focus.
The Online Growth Club is only open for new members at specific times of the year, but Kimba is generously offering the chance to sneak a peak at what a KOGc networking event looks like. She’s opened up the next networking event happening 12pm BST 4th May for anyone to join in.
The membership is usually £47 per month, but you can join the event for just £5, or £9 to include a trial of KOGc. That means that you can attend the same networking event as me for less than I am paying 😉 Come and smirk at me through Zoom.
I actually often hate networking events because of the many stuffy conferences I attended in my past employment. But I really enjoyed the KOGc socials. Kimba plans activities that will bring everyone in but not put anyone on the spot. Lots of fun and totally non-cringy, which is what I worry about when I join networking events.
EAS enforcement changes have meant that tuition business working with multiple tutors fall under the category of employment businesses. Agencies must update their contracts, policies, and processes accordingly for EAS Compliance.
If you’ve missed this, or your not sure of the details, you can read more on the very helpfulLaw Hound blogs.
EAS stands for Employment Agencies Standards.
BEIS is the Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
In 2021 they published expectations of tutor agencies employing tutors to comply with one of two specific business models in order to ensure that contracted tutors were being treated fairly.
The two business models for EAS compliance are:
Tutor Employment Agency
Tutor Employment Business
This caused a lot of concern amongst agency owners (myself included). While we were already treating their team fairly, we had to navigate legal jargon to learn what was required for EAS compliance, or potentially close our doors. Legal documents have a tendency to make my eyes water!
With some investigation, team work, and a lot of support from Law Hound we were able to navigate the changes to EAS compliance with minimal disruption.
For the majority of businesses this doesn’t mean much change, but perhaps more specific documentation to be prepared for inspections.
But understandably, with anything legal, it is a conversation that can inspire anxiety.
The resources from this page are designed to help you relieve that anxiety, and seek further support if you need it.
What are the model requirements for EAS compliance?
Tutor Employment Agency
Tutor employment agencies collect a fee for connecting a tutor with a client. They can not charge tutors for providing them with work, and they can not collect payment from the client on behalf of the tutor.
For tutor agencies wishing to work by this model, TutorCruncher set up Stripe Connect accounts to allow them to invoice the client and split the payment at the point of collection. Payments are sent directly to the tutor from TutorCruncher and the agency remains compliant.
You do not have to use TutorCruncher to be compliant, but you must not set up a Stripe Connect account yourself as you would still be managing the payment to the tutor in this case.
You can find more information about employment agency requirements on the Government website linked below.
Tutor employment businesses employ their tutors and give them the associated employment benefits.
The tutors can be self-employed under this model, but in this case the agency can not direct them in how to deliver the tuition.
You can provide training, resources, and software, and filter applicants before employment. But self-employed tutors must be allowed to self-manage.
By this model you can collect payment on behalf of the tutors. Tutors must invoice you for payment and this must be documented.
Frequently asked questions
I don't tutor in the UK. Does this apply to me?
This legislation applies to the UK Government, so is not applicable if you work entirely outside of the UK. If you employ tutors in the UK, you will need to ensure that you are compliant with UK Employment Law.
Does this apply to me if I am under the VAT threshold?
Yes, the enforcement is related to collecting payment on behalf of other tutors. Your income threshold doesn’t impact this.
Am I covered if I use Tutorcruncher?
TutorCruncher very quickly responded to the changes by introducing a Stripe Connect integration to allow the payments from clients to be split at the point of payment, meaning that tutor agencies could be compliant. You still need to make sure that the agreements and processes you have with tutors are compliant.
Does this apply to referrals between tutors?
This doesn’t apply if you are not taking payment for referrals. You can still keep helping out your colleagues and I’m sure it will be welcomed 😊
Do I have to pay VAT on the fee I collect to pay tutors?
Yes. You will need to pay VAT on your entire revenue if this is over the VAT threshold. This cost has resulted in many businesses having to change their business model in order to remain affordable. I would recommend speaking with your accountant if you think this applies to you. There may be a more cost effective model for you.
Law Hound – Bespoke Legal Services at Low Cost
This has been a disruptive year for tutor agencies, who were perhaps expecting a more productive year out of lockdowns!
[This post contains links to our webshop and/or affiliate links to other shops. If you click on them, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Find our disclosure policy here.]
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